4 Secrets of People Who Don't Hide Messes Away

You know the type. You go inside their impeccably clean and organized home and just know that if you started opening doors to cabinets and closets, trying to find all the stuff they must have stuffed out of the way before you came over, you wouldn't. Every door would lead to more disappointment, because these folks don't have any tucked away, off-limit drawers, cabinets, closets or rooms. Here are their secrets — which just might help the rest of us create a home where we aren't hiding away any messy areas either!

These are the kind of folks who are never surprised by an avalanche of stuff when they open a closet or cabinet door. And do you know how they avoid such avalanches? They don't let their storage areas get that bad to begin with. One way they do that is by keeping themselves on an organization schedule — regular intervals throughout the year that they check in on and adjust (alongside the other home maintenance tasks). Getting themselves on a schedule means never letting those areas get out of control.

They ask themselves questions

Before they buy new things for their home and anytime they come across an object they haven't used in awhile, they ask themselves questions about whether they really need new objects or will actually use the objects they're thinking about restoring.

They add more storage if they need it (and really customize the storage they do have)

Minimal-minded folks who barely have a handful of objects in their whole house aren't the only ones who pull off not having any off-limit, embarrassment-inducing drawers, closets and cabinets. Sure, having less stuff helps, but if you've narrowed things down as much as you possible can, you still need to store what's left. Folks who don't have stuff avalanches add extra storage when they really need it, and they make the extra effort to really customize (like adding more shelves or dividers) to the storage they do have, so that the stuff they do need to store fits in just right.

Keep their decluttering plans to themselves

Well-meaning family, friends and neighbors can have more influence over your stuff (or rather, your desire to toss or get rid of your stuff) more than you realize. But folks who don't have secret messy junk rooms know to keep their plans to declutter to themselves so they're not persuaded to keep stuff (and need a secret messy junk room to begin with).